


Darling, Move A Little Closer

by Ava_now



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Hugging, M/M, Touch-Starved, Touching, affirmative consent, snuggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:16:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28820595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ava_now/pseuds/Ava_now
Summary: “So this is her business?” Barba asked, examining the business card that Rollins had just handed him.“Yep.  Talk about building something out of nothing...and it’s perfectly legal.  No sex involved.  I did a little research after I got back to the squad room, and these cuddle therapy spots are popping up everywhere.  People pay for an hour, then show up and cuddle with the therapist.  She said they talk about all sorts of things, as intimate as the client wants, but there’s no touching of the naughty parts.”  She was smirking, and he raised an eyebrow at her.  “Sorry.”******Some people have no work/life balance.  Rafael Barba has been one of these people.
Relationships: Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	Darling, Move A Little Closer

“So this is her _business_?” Barba asked, examining the business card that Rollins had just handed him.

“Yep. Talk about building something out of nothing...and it’s perfectly legal. No sex involved. I did a little research after I got back to the squad room, and these cuddle therapy spots are popping up everywhere. People pay for an hour, then show up and cuddle with the therapist. She said they talk about all sorts of things, as intimate as the client wants, but there’s no touching of the naughty parts.” She was smirking, and he raised an eyebrow at her. “Sorry.”

He sighed. “Well, was she at least able to give us any information on the case?”

“She did,” Rollins confirmed. “Not a lot, but enough to let us know we’re heading in the right direction. I’m going to hunt down some of the people she named, see if it gets us anywhere.”

“Good. Keep me up to date,” he told her as she left the office. He examined the card for another couple of minutes, thinking, then set it down on his desk and got back to his paperwork.

***

“Mr. Barba?”

Rafael didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but he hadn’t envisioned the man in front of him. Lithe, tall, and blonde, maybe mid-thirties, Rafael felt an immediate attraction. He nodded and smiled, confirming his identity. “Yes, I’m Rafael Barba...you must be Dominick?”

“Please, call me Sonny.” The man held out his hand and Rafael shook it. “Come on in. Have you ever participated in cuddle therapy before?”

Rafael shook his head. “No, I can’t say I have.” He took off his coat, and Sonny hung it up, then motioned toward the bed in the room. It was a comfortable layout with a large king-size bed facing a fireplace, which was turned on. There was little other furniture in the room, other than a desk, and there was a bathroom off to one side. Rafael sat on the edge of the bed, and Sonny sat down next to him.

“So this is a new experience for you. I’m so pleased to be the one to introduce it to you, Rafael. Cuddling is actually a great way to care for yourself. It lowers your blood pressure and stress levels, helps instill a sense of wellness and connection, and most people experience an increased sense of self-esteem and happiness. There are some rules, though. I will ask before I touch you in any way, and you need to ask before you touch me. There is no touching of anything contained in underwear, no painful or aggressive touching, and no verbal aggression toward me or toward you. Kissing and touching is okay if you’ve obtained affirmative consent. Are there any rules you’d like to add? Any places you don’t want me to touch, or anything you definitely would like?”

Rafael thought for a moment. “I don’t really know, yet.”

“Can you tell me why you came here, or what you’re hoping to get out of it?” 

God, this man’s eyes were so blue. “I guess...I’ve been alone for a long time. And, uh, if I’m honest about it, I’m lonely.” He gave a soft, self-depracating laugh. “I haven’t been involved with anyone in years. I guess I was just hoping that...I don’t know…” He drew a deep breath. “I’m so desperate for touch right now I’d pay for it.” Realizing where he was, he laughed again. “Obviously.”

Sonny chuckled. “It’s okay, Rafael. I can tell you, you’re not alone. Is it okay if I wrap my arms around you?” At Rafael’s nod, Sonny moved closer and hugged Rafael loosely, rubbing his back. “Would you be comfortable getting in the bed now, to snuggle? We can stay fully dressed or we can get undressed down to our underwear. What would you prefer?”

It seemed years since he’d had somebody’s arms around him, and Rafael melted into the man sitting next to him. He smelled like soap and something slightly musky, some kind of cologne, and Rafael wanted to bury his nose into Sonny’s neck and inhale long and deep. Instead, he sat back up to answer the question. “I think I’d prefer to stay in tee shirts and sweats for now,” he replied, consciously thinking about the extra fifteen pounds he’d gained since moving to Manhattan. 

“Okay, great,” Sonny said, smiling, then he stood and removed the sweater he was wearing. Rafael copied him, tugging off his hoodie and laying it on the desk. Sonny had pulled back the comforter on Rafael’s side of the bed, then walked to the other side and was climbing into the bed. Rafael sat down and quickly removed his shoes and socks, then slid in between the covers.

It felt surreal, lying in a strange bed with this beautiful man, knowing he’d paid sixty dollars for that privilege. “How are you doing, Rafael?” Sonny asked softly. “I know it’s a little odd, the first time. Is it okay if I touch your side?”

Raael rolled onto his side to face Sonny and nodded. “You can touch me anywhere above the waist, Sonny. It’s okay. I’d like that, actually.”

Sonny’s hand stroked gently up and down Rafael’s side. “You’re touch-starved,” Sonny mused as he watched Rafael close his eyes in pleasure. “Would you like me to hold you?” Rafael nodded and eagerly moved closer until Sonny’s arms were wrapped snugly around him again. “There we are,” Sonny said pleasantly. “How does that feel? Are you comfortable?”

“Good. Fantastic,” Rafael replied honestly. He was shocked at how natural it felt, how comfortable it was, how he wished immediately he could do this with Sonny all night long. He didn’t know this man, had little interest in knowing him, but unlike sex, there were no expectations, no judgments, no vulnerabilities. Sonny was gently stroking his back but didn’t force conversation, and Rafael didn’t feel the need to say anything. Instead, he just enjoyed the feel of another man’s arms around him, of their bodies gently pressed together. And in this position, he could easily inhale Sonny’s scent, which made him smile. Eventually, he found himself drifting off into a pleasant sleep.

“Rafael.” He heard his name spoken gently, realizing arms were still around him, a hand still moving gently in circles on his back. Sonny’s body was soft yet firm, and Rafael knew immediately he was going to miss this when it was time to get up. “We have about ten more minutes. Is there anything else you’d like to do, or talk about?” 

“Can we just stay like this?” he asked. “I’m so comfortable...I don’t know when I’ve been so comfortable…” He closed his eyes, knowing his cheeks were blushing red at the truth, but telling himself Sonny wouldn’t care. Sonny wouldn’t judge. Sonny knew nothing about him.

“Of course,” Sonny murmured, and they stayed in that position for the rest of their time.

Eventually, a soft alarm rang, and Sonny turned it off. “Rafael, it’s time for us to get up,” he said kindly. “If you need a minute before you get up, that’s fine. You can take a minute before you get redressed.”

Rafael lay there for a moment, watching Sonny get up and pull his sweater back on. But the bed held no interest now that Sonny had risen, so Rafael sat up and put his shoes and socks back on, then got up and grabbed his hoodie.

Once he was dressed, Sonny turned to him and smiled again. “I hope that was relaxing for you,” Sonny said, and handed him a business card. “I know that you contacted Anna to set up the initial appointment. If you’d like to come back, you can contact her again--she does all the scheduling--but this has my name, and the company’s information on it. If you follow the link on here, you can read a little more about each of us and what we do. It was wonderful to meet you, Rafael.”

Rafael shook Sonny’s hand once more. “Thank you, Sonny. It was incredibly relaxing.”

“I’m glad.” Sonny’s smile was as bright as his name. “I hope you have a great week.”

***

“You’ve been particularly pleasant this week,” Olivia told him over drinks at Forlini’s. “Care to share your secret?”

Rafael chuckled, then took a sip of his scotch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m ALWAYS pleasant. You’re just happier than usual because the case turned out how you wanted it to.”

“Well, we did want the same thing this time--”

“We always want the same thing. Justice. We just sometimes have different ideas on how to achieve it, Liv.” He had to admit, the trial had been good for his ego. That bastard wouldn’t see the light of day for twenty years, and everyone had congratulated him. McCoy had sent him a gift basket.

Olivia chuckled, and finished her wine. “Well, whatever it is, you should keep doing it. It softens you in just the right places. The world doesn’t need more snarky smartasses. There’s enough of those.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.” He thumbed through his schedule for the next week, noting his hour with Sonny on Tuesday evening.

He already couldn’t wait.


End file.
